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Meg Lanning shares insights on the intense pressure and expectations India captain Harmanpreet Kaur will face at the home World Cup.
India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (AP)
Australia legend Meg Lanning has shed light on the increased expectations and challenges that come with playing in a home World Cup, a situation India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates will soon encounter.
Lanning led Australia to their seventh ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup title in New Zealand in 2022 and also captained the team to their last four ICC Women’s T20 World Cup victories, including the memorable home win over India in the 2020 final at the MCG.
Lanning told ICC Digital, “There’s definitely a lot of added pressure at a home World Cup. You just get more media, there’s more scrutiny, and there’s very high expectations. So it’s an added layer to everything.”
“You can think about and plan as much as you want, but until you’re actually in it – and especially if things don’t go well – that’s when there’s another added bit,” she continued. “We certainly had that in our home T20 World Cup in the first couple of group games. We didn’t get off to a good start, and we were under pressure pretty quickly.”
Lanning believes the hosts of the upcoming marquee tournament can expect a similar level of heightened expectations. “It’s certainly different and something that the home teams in India will face this time around in terms of just an added layer of pressure,” Lanning added.
Reflecting on the positive aspects of playing at the biggest stage in front of home fans, Lanning shared her experiences of captaining the team at a home World Cup. “World Cups carry their own unique pressure, but there are positives to it as well,” she said. “You get your home crowd every game. You get your family and friends there. You are in your home comforts. So there are certainly some pros to it, but in terms of the added pressure, that’s something that you can’t really prepare for.”
When Australia hosted the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020, Lanning was already a three-time champion in the format, having lifted the trophy twice as captain. Despite her experience and success, she admitted to still feeling the weight of the nation and its media as she led her team.
Australia lost the opening game of the tournament to India by 17 runs after being bowled out for 115 while chasing 133 for victory. Despite the initial setback, the hosts managed to turn their campaign around and defeated India by a comprehensive margin of 85 runs in front of a record-breaking crowd in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“We tried our best to be ready for what was to come, but we got to the first game in a week and we weren’t ready for what was going to happen. We did adjust to it eventually,” Lanning said.
India and Sri Lanka will kick off the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 with their opening fixture on September 30.
(With agency inputs)
A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses, features, live scores, results, stats and everything that’s cricket from all over the globe. Follow @cricketnext
A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses, features, live scores, results, stats and everything that’s cricket from all over the globe. Follow @cricketnext
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